96 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR
summer campaign. As a large number of beds stood idle at this time,
however, a conference between the Unions and Prince Oldenburg
decided that there was no need to increase the number of beds.
Nevertheless the Zemstvo Union informed its provincial committees
that in view of the magnitude of the contemplated military operations
 it had resolved to take prompt measures for enlarging the
hospital capacity so as to be prepared for any emergency.
On May 22, 1916, General Brusilov launched his offensive at
Lutsk, and the result was that not only were the southern areas soon
overflowing with wounded, but a considerable number of these had
to be sent even as far as Moscow. After June 20, when the Russians
advanced in the Baranovichy sector, it became evident that the entire
 hospital organization would soon be swamped. Then, at the end
of June, more conferences were held with the evacuation authorities,
and the result was that the unions were asked to increase their hospital
 facilities by 50,000 beds, and to be ready to provide an additional
 50,000, if necessary. Of course, it was impossible to carry out
such an enormous task within so short a time, since there were
neither sufficient accommodation nor sufficient supplies and equipment
 available.
Meanwhile, from about August 20, 1916, Tiflis was also receiving
a steady stream of casualties (2,000 to 8,000 a day). About the
same time, the entry of Rumania on the side of the Allies made it
necessary also to provide the new front with adequate hospital facilities.
 On the whole, it may be said that the strain imposed upon
the evacuation machinery in the summer of 1916, was higher than
at any other period of the War. From May to September the Zemstvo
 Union was able to increase the number of hospital beds in the
interior by 20,000 and was preparing for further increases. In addition
 to this, with the appearance of casualties from the Rumanian
front, the number of beds attached to the clearing hospitals in the
south also had to be increased by 10,000, at the urgent request of
the general staff.
It would have been scarcely possible to make timely provision for
these various needs on the vast scale that was required had it not
been for two circumstances which helped matters in 1916. The first
was that a portion of the huts built by the zemstvos in the interior
had never been utilized by the military authorities, and the Zemstvo